It can be hard to see the difference between a man genuinely expressing concern versus toxic behavior. But here are 11 subtle ...

Tension: Reassuring words can mask power plays; what sounds caring may quietly corral your choices and rewrite your narrative. Noise: Feel-good communication advice equates positivity with kindness, ...

Trying to control others by imposing rigid rules, demanding conformity, micromanaging tasks, or punishing deviation is more ...

I’ve sat across from countless clients in my therapy office, hearing the same heartbreaking whisper: “I never saw it coming.” As a psychologist and podcast host, I’ve learned controlling relationships ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Mark Travers writes about the world of psychology. Abusive behavior is not always obvious. Here are some of the mechanisms ...

Emotional manipulators tend to benefit from having a sense of emotional intelligence without the added social and internal burdens of compassion or empathy. According to a study from the SAGE Open ...

This article follows the Direct Message methodology, designed to cut through the noise and reveal the deeper truths behind the stories we live. There’s a fine line between not liking someone and not ...

We tend to associate the word “abuse” with more extreme behaviors and actions. However, abuse occurs on a continuum and can take on different forms and morph and/or escalate over the course of the ...